Motherwell FC - A Thread For All Seasons

[eliphas]

One thing I found interesting recently was in Alan Burrows recent interview in the papers. Basically saying how the size of Aberdeen took him by surprise vs Motherwell and that the Well board effectively just let him get on with the running of the show by in large.

Given some of the decisions made the last couple of years especially,  essentially since Robinson left,  I hope the board realise the need for more senior bodies around and stricter governance over big decisions. We've spent an awful lor of cash on the pitch, managers and players which on reflection has not perhaps been the best use/return/overspend. Hindsight great and all that but I hope the tightening of the purse strings is more a strategic decision than response to a situation if you know what I mean.

Edited August 7, 2023 by eliphas

[Antiochas III]

2 hours ago, eliphas said:

One thing I found interesting recently was in Alan Burrows recent interview in the papers. Basically saying how the size of Aberdeen took him by surprise vs Motherwell and that the Well board effectively just let him get on with the running of the show by in large.

Given some of the decisions made the last couple of years especially,  essentially since Robinson left,  I hope the board realise the need for more senior bodies around and stricter governance over big decisions. We've spent an awful lor of cash on the pitch, managers and players which on reflection has not perhaps been the best use/return/overspend. Hindsight great and all that but I hope the tightening of the purse strings is more a strategic decision than response to a situation if you know what I mean.

Funny thing about size... our football operation by number of staff was much larger than Aberdeen's according to the last published accounts.  

[Sortmeout]

2 hours ago, eliphas said:

One thing I found interesting recently was in Alan Burrows recent interview in the papers. Basically saying how the size of Aberdeen took him by surprise vs Motherwell and that the Well board effectively just let him get on with the running of the show by in large.

Given some of the decisions made the last couple of years especially,  essentially since Robinson left,  I hope the board realise the need for more senior bodies around and stricter governance over big decisions. We've spent an awful lor of cash on the pitch, managers and players which on reflection has not perhaps been the best use/return/overspend. Hindsight great and all that but I hope the tightening of the purse strings is more a strategic decision than response to a situation if you know what I mean.

Wonder if any of his comments have been impacted by Dave Cormack drunk calling him every 2 days asking for an update on club activity.

[eliphas]

1 hour ago, Sortmeout said:

Wonder if any of his comments have been impacted by Dave Cormack drunk calling him every 2 days asking for an update on club activity.

Cormack seems like an absolute nightmare eh. He seems to @ him in Twitter messages all the time as well. AB will be dealing with more moonholwers than ever. 

[Busta Nut]

7 hours ago, capt_oats said:

No #sportswashing at Fir Park please.

Anyway, much like Derek and others I disagree with the guy's Tweet.

Since we became fully fan owned in Oct 2016 our league finishes have been 9th, 7th, 8th, 3rd*, 8th, 5th and 7th. There have been two European qualifications (brief as one of them was). We've seen two record turnovers and twice seen record profit and we have a net profit of £4m in that time. There's been a club record sale, ST sales have increased to "record" numbers. Our cash at hand in the most recent published accounts was £4m+.

There's absolutely nothing there that suggests to me that the business model isn't working.

Which isn't to say that it can't be improved or doesn't have faults but it feels weird, inexplicable even, that anyone would look at the state we were in under Boyle or the consistent losses we were making in the Dempster era vs our recent history and conclude that the way we're being run as a fan owned club is a problem.

The current model isn't perfect nor is the make up of The WS and both need to evolve but again, looking at where we are vs say, the Dundee clubs and their American owners shovelling cash into their respective money pits it's odd to think anyone's looking at that and deciding it's a set up that's preferable or what we should be aspiring to.

Having said that, to Devil's Advocate, there's probably a section of our support who not only find it difficult to differentiate between what's happening on the park vs how we're being run off it but they also have a problem when it comes to differentiating between what's someone is saying vs what someone means. Especially if that someone happens to be as verbose as Stuart Kettlewell.

The messaging from SK over the summer has been very much about "one out, one in" and associated chat about budget being maxed out etc. Robinson was someone who used to lean heavily on the whole "we can't afford to pay big salaries", "we have the lowest budget in the league" patter as well.

Most people can probably read between the lines in terms of what's actually being said however I guess if you're the sort of person who is inclined to take that stuff literally (or believe it in the first place) then it's not a huge leap to take if you interpret that as us being skint and have no money because we're fan owned and don't have a sugar daddy ploughing in cash.

If that's the narrative that's coming from the public face of the club then you can probably see why some amongst the support are taking it at face value. Even more so now that there's a void left by Flow in terms of actually managing that stuff - it's often been said on here that one of Burrows' biggest achievements in his role was consistently being about to project the idea that we're a bigger operation than we actually are.

Also, there seems to be a Modern Fitba' culture where the expectation from a demographic of fans is that clubs/owners should be be chucking money at players because that's (apparently) what you're supposed to do. Ironically, there were audible gasps and pearls were clutched when Kieran Maguire's breakdown of the accounts highlighted that we'd spent £500k on players.

"wHy dOnt tHe bOaRD sPeNd mOneY oN pLaYeRs?!?!?!?!"....."wait! no! not those players!"

All said and done though, the idea that we're just casually knocking back takeover bids from wealthy consortiums who will pony up as much cash as these fans want, will be guaranteed to make 100% correct decisions, are ethically sound and won't get involved in operational stuff is a giggle.

I wasn't serious btw

[thisGRAEME]

2 hours ago, Busta Nut said:

I wasn't serious btw

I reckon we could make a really good bit out of it tbf. Pull a real heel turn.

[well fan for life]

25 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said:

I reckon we could make a really good bit out of it tbf. Pull a real heel turn.

We exist to improve the profit margins of oil states.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Just wait until Nobby Solano comes into some money

[RostokMcSpoons]

It seems Luton has enjoyed the ex Motherwell player experience so far, and is looking to sign a certain Mr Ruddy...

https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/sport/football/luton-town/luton-have-reportedly-agreed-a-fee-to-sign-blues-keeper-ruddy-4246735

 

Googling him turned this up...

Jesus, he'll be even more minted if he gets back into the premiership, I'd have thought.  Good work fella!

Edited August 7, 2023 by RostokMcSpoons

[Desp]

Those look like reliable sources, tbf.

[capt_oats]

Yes Chef.

['WellDel]

1 minute ago, capt_oats said:

Yes Chef.

Like how they, like us 'Well fans, have already dropped the 'O' from his first name in anticipation of him ripping defences apart all season. I mean it's not just a typo, is it...?

[Phillips455]

We seem to be copying the old firm with the Sticker album with the stickers being in the Matchday program.

 

 

https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2023/08/08/the-mfc-sticker-collection/

[santheman]

18 hours ago, Antiochas III said:

Funny thing about size... our football operation by number of staff was much larger than Aberdeen's according to the last published accounts.  

tbf a lot of the numbers were in hospitality and catering and are casual/match day positions 

[Busta Nut]

56 minutes ago, Phillips455 said:

We seem to be copying the old firm with the Sticker album with the stickers being in the Matchday program.

 

 

https://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2023/08/08/the-mfc-sticker-collection/

I've already said "I'm getting it for the wean". Honest.

[Swello]

58 minutes ago, santheman said:

tbf a lot of the numbers were in hospitality and catering and are casual/match day positions 

Was it not Killie who had a massive wage bill in their accounts because it took into account cleaners and waiters at a hotel?

[eliphas]

3 hours ago, capt_oats said:

Yes Chef.

Just watching his goal again, thought it at the time but worth calling out - a great team goal.

Wilko - good hold up play and a smart we touch to take it away from the Dundee player.

Miller - lovely first time ball over to SOD

SOD -  great cut back for an assist and had raced up to get there in the first place.

Bair - Good run into the box and pretty composed finish in the conditions.

More of that please. 

[YassinMoutaouakil]

I quite like us having two Canadians and a Yank in the team. Going to start waving a foam finger around and drinking bovril from a solo cup after we've woodshedded teams.

[Pettigrew]

12 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

I quite like us having two Canadians and a Yank in the team. Going to start waving a foam finger around and drinking bovril from a solo cup after we've woodshedded teams.

Let's Go Dossers.

[rowsdower]

19 minutes ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

I quite like us having two Canadians and a Yank in the team. Going to start waving a foam finger around and drinking bovril from a solo cup after we've woodshedded teams.

A modern day can-am connection? Too obscure?